ARABIA TURKEY MIDDLE EAST SOUTH EUROPE EGYPT 1646ca BLAEU UNUSUAL ANTIQUE MAP

Turcicum Imperium.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual 1646 approx.  copper engraved detailed representation of map of the Ottoman Empire, or Turkish Empire.  It represents the Turkish Empire, covering regions such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and parts of the Mediterranean and West Asia. The title "Turcicum Imperium" is prominently displayed in a cartouche at the bottom left, accompanied by allegorical figures, which was a common decorative element in maps of this period.
 
Composition and Medium:
 
The map is richly detailed and uses outline color to delineate different regions and territories. Relief features are sketched, providing a sense of the topography. The use of color, likely hand-applied, highlights political boundaries and significant geographical features.
 
Cultural and Historical Context:
 
The map is set in the context of the Turkish Empire during its height, illustrating its vast territorial expanse. This period was marked by significant political and economic power exerted by the Ottoman Empire, which influenced European mapmakers to document its reach and influence. The map reflects the European perspective and interest in the geopolitical dynamics of the region.
 
Notable Features:
 
- Inscriptions and Labels: The map includes numerous place names and geographical features labeled in Latin, which was the scholarly language of the time. This indicates the map’s intended audience of educated Europeans.
 
- Borders and Boundaries: The colored outlines demarcate the political boundaries of the Turkish Empire and its neighboring regions, providing insights into the territorial divisions recognized by Europeans in the 17th century.
 
- Cartouche and Allegorical Figures: The decorative cartouche is accompanied by figures representing different aspects of the empire, possibly symbolizing its power and influence.
 
- Geographical Features: The map highlights significant bodies of water such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Arabian Sea, as well as mountain ranges and deserts, which are sketched to indicate relief.
 
In summary, "Turcicum Imperium" is a detailed and artistic representation of the Turkish Empire, reflecting both the cartographic skills and the geopolitical interests of the late 17th century. It serves as both a historical document and a piece of art, illustrating the vastness and influence of the empire during this period.

Date: 1646 approx. ( undated )

Date: Paper size approx.: cm 58,3 x 48,2

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Paper with chains and wiremarks. Map old original colored. Wide margins. Corners partially missing. Sheet browned. Tears repaired on the reverse. Map reinforced on the reverse along the margins. Small holes restored. Map repaired on the reverse along central folding. Map folded. Conditions are as you can see in the images. SOLD IN THE CONDITIONS.

Mapmaker: The Blaeus: Willem Janszoon, Cornelis & Joan
 
Willem Jansz. Blaeu and his son Joan Blaeu are the most widely known cartographic publishers of the seventeenth century.
 
Willem Jansz. (also written Guilielmus Janssonius) = Willem Janszoon Blaeu, was born in Uitgeest (Netherlands), near Alkmaar in 1571. He studied mathematics under Tycho Brahe and learned the theory and practice of astronomical observations and the art of instrument- and globe making.
 
In 1596 he came to Amsterdam where he settled down as a globe-, instrument- and map-maker. He published his first cartographic work (a globe) in 1599 and probably published his first printed map (a map of the Netherlands) in 1604. He specialized in maritime cartography and published the first edition of the pilot guide Het Licht der Zeevaert in 1608, and was appointed Hydrographer of the V.O.C. (United East India Company) in 1633. After thirty years of publishing books, wall maps, globes, charts and pilot guides, he brought out his first atlas, Atlas Appendix (1630). This was the beginning of the great tradition of atlas-making by the Blaeu's.
 
In 1618 another mapmaker, bookseller and publisher, Johannes Janssonius established himself in Amsterdam next door to Blaeu's shop. It is no wonder that these two neighbours, who began accusing each other of copying and stealing their information, became fierce competitors who did not have a good word to say about each other. In about 1621 Willem Jansz. decided to put an end to the confusion between his name and his competitor's, and assumed his grandfather's sobriquet, 'blauwe Willem' ('blue Willem'), as the family name; thereafter he called himself Willem Jansz. Blaeu.
 
Willem Janszoon Blaeu died in 1638, leaving his prospering business to his sons, Cornelis and Joan. Of Cornelis, we only know that his name occurs in the prefaces of books and atlases until c. 1645.
 
Joan Blaeu, born in Amsterdam, 1596, became partner in his father’s book trade and printing business. In 1638 he was appointed his father’s successor in the Hydrographic Office of the V.O.C. His efforts culminated in the magnificent Atlas Major and the town-books of the Netherlands and of Italy – works unsurpassed in history and in modern times, which gave eternal fame to the name of the Blaeu's.
 
On February 23, 1672, a fire ruined the business. One year later, Dr Joan Blaeu died. The fire of 1672 and the passing away of the director gave rise to a complete sale of the stock of the Blaeu House. Five public auctions dispersed the remaining books, atlases, copperplates, globes, etc., among many other map dealers and publishers in Amsterdam. The majority was acquired by a number of booksellers acting in partnership.
 
In the succeeding years, the remaining printing department was left in the hands of the Blaeu family until 1695 when also the inventory of the printing house was sold at a public auction. That meant the end of the Blaeu's as a printing house of world renown.